The present invention relates to hangers for garments and other articles in combination with a separately formed indicator secured to a hanger for indicating information associated with the articles.
When garments and other articles are displayed in retail stores on hangers, it is essential that the customer be able to determine with ease information associated with the garments and other articles, such as the size, manufacturer, price and the like. It is known to provide hangers with tabs or other indicators which either rest on the shoulder of the hanger or in the crook between the shoulder of the hanger and the lower portion of the hook used to support the hanger on a rail, rack or like supporting element. These tabs or indicators are not entirely satisfactory in use because the garment-carrying hangers are typically disposed closely adjacent one another on the rail in a side-to-side relationship such that the tabs may be at least partially concealed by clothing carried on the adjacent hangers. Thus, the information may not be easily viewable until the hanger is removed from the rail.
Accordingly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,902 discloses an indicator which is disposed on the top of the hook of the hanger for ready visibility. The indicator is a hollow four-sided body defining an open top, an open bottom, a generally parallel pair of opposed sides, and a pair of opposed ends connecting the sides but not extending outwardly therebeyond. The sides define inwardly extending beads which are engaged by outwardly extending flanges at the top of the hook to preclude accidental dislodgment of the indicator from the hanger. However, the sides extend above the top of the hook so that a tool may be inserted between the sides (adjacent the tops thereof) to force them apart until the beads no longer engage the flanges. The indicator may then be slid upwardly off the hook. Thus, non-destructive removal of the indicator from the hanger placed on the hanger--e.g., because a different size garment has now been placed on the hanger--is difficult and requires the use of a tool.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a commercial indicator 10 which is also adapted to fit on the top of the hook of a hanger. It has a hollow four-sided body 12 defining a closed top 14, an open bottom 16, a generally parallel pair of opposed sides 18, and a generally parallel pair of opposed ends 20 connecting the sides but not extending outwardly therebeyond. The indicator is very thin so that the information (typically in the form of engraved letters or numbers) may be disposed only on the sides thereof, and not on the ends thereof as the ends are too small and rounded for this purpose. Each side of the top of the hanger defines an outwardly extending boss which is received within a respective aperture 24 in each side of the indicator to lock the indicator on the hanger. As the top of the hook completely fills the open bottom of the indicator and the top of the indicator is closed, there is no simple non-destructive way to remove the indicator from the hanger. Even aside from its non-removability, this indicator has not proven to be entirely satisfactory in use as the sides of the indicator (which are the only portions of the indicator which bear information) are typically completely concealed by the sides of the indicators of adjacent hangers when it is grouped with other hangers on a rail. Thus, the information is not easily viewable until the hanger is removed from the rail. Further, the indicator must be formed by injection molding which is extremely expensive and limited to moldable materials.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an indicator-and-hanger combination wherein the indicator is easily and non-destructively disengageable and removable from the hanger manually, without the use of tools.
Another object is to provide such a combination wherein in a preferred embodiment the indicator is readily visible when the hanger is in view by virtue of its position on the hook.
A further object is to provide such a combination wherein in a preferred embodiment the information regarding the garments and other articles is disposed both on the side and end surfaces of the indicator for ready visibility, even when the hanger is on a rack with like hanger on either side thereof.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide such a combination which is inexpensive to manufacture and maintain and simple to use.